Literacy
“To know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it’s bad for them. They thinks we want what they got . . . . That’s why they don’t want us reading.”
― Nightjohn
In the book “Nightjohn”, an escaped slave, Nightjohn, teaches a young girl, Sarny, to read and write. The story not only highlights the harrowing story of slavery in America, but it takes a stance on the importance of literacy. Nightjohn teaches Sarny something that her white master would never want her to know. Nightjohn gives Sarny the ability to learn and to know. When she does, she has power. Reading is empowering. Writing is empowering. The book Nightjohn is a testament to that. Yet, this power seems to be a lost skill in our culture.
But why do we live in a society that turns its nose to reading? Why is there a deficit in our society of reading and writing? Why don’t kids want to read? Trust me, I know. I am an English teacher in a 6th and 7th grade classroom. On the daily, I hear kids say, “I hate reading”. Why don’t people want to learn to read, I wonder to myself. I marvel at the number of kids who spend their time staring at their screens and taking selfies of themselves. They can barely see past their own self. How are they supposed to relate to others?
When I think about reading, it makes me thankful for the gift we have as humans. It is one of the things that sets us apart from the rest of the birds and beasts. Another point is that reading and writing are skills that help me to learn and to know. People can share ideas and opportunities through reading and writing. Change occurs; movements sweep nations; people rise up.
For example, in the 1500s, the world was very different. The common person was unable to read or write. Usually, the people who were reading and writing were the monks in the remote monasteries carefully copying down the Bible. Mass was said in Latin, and there were no hymnals. People simply listened to the scriptures. There were no other books, but the Bible available to the people living in Europe at that time. The lords, nobles, kings, and church officials of the time were able to control the population easily in this way. When everyone is being told that they will be taken care of and this is what the book says, etc, well there is no way for anyone to deny it. People were easily ruled because of the lack of literacy. ENTER THE PRINTING PRESS AND MODERN LANGUAGE!
People started to develop their own languages and to record them. Monks in monasteries began to print bibles in the vernacular of the people from their region. The people started to print materials other than the Bible. A young German monk named Martin Luther was one of those people. He was studying the bible and translating it from Latin to German. As he translated it, he realized that there were things written in the Bible that did not match up with the teachings at the time of the Catholic Church. Luther was enraged at the corruption and the lack of piety from the church officials. He composed and posted his 95 Theses, which he famously tacked to the Wittenburg Castle church. Luther had started a movement — the Protestant Revolution.
Whether you agree or disagree with what happened after Luther posted his 95 Theses, the point is that he did something magnificent in questioning the status quo. He was able to spread the word quickly because of writing! The ideas that he posted caught fire throughout Europe. He shared ideas. The ability to read and write was so integrative to moving society forward out of the dark ages – out of oppression.
Literacy is essential to the survival of our free world. If you can read, you can do anything. I tell my students that all the time. I tell them that reading is the most important thing that they can learn. Think about it. It doesn’t matter if you are interested in other subjects – you have to be able to read to understand them. You must read to understand science, math, history, art, music, politics, computers, and so on.
Literacy allows people to communicate, to share, to connect, and to form their own opinion. But above all, it keeps us informed –informed about whatever we are interested in. Nobody can own you or hold you down and tell you what is what until you can verify it yourself. Be literate. Be free.
if it quirks.. 